Three takeaways from Mikey Varas’ first press conference in charge of USMNT

The United States Men’s National Team returns to action on Saturday, looking to turn the page on a frustrating year that saw them dumped from the summer’s home Copa América in the group stage.

The new era will almost certainly be led by former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino but the Argentine still has some contractual issues to resolve. In his place, USMNT will be led by former assistant coach Mikey Varas for the September internationals against Canada and New Zealand.

Varas, whose senior coaching experience is limited, gave his first press conference as interim head coach on Friday. He gave a positive account of the past few days training with the team and outlined their goals for the days, months and years ahead.

Here are three key takeaways from Mikey Varas’ first press conference as USMNT interim head coach...

USMNT looking for return to a proactive style of play

Following the Copa América debacle there has been a sense that USMNT had drifted for a year, during the second stint of recently-removed head coach Gregg Berhalter. Critics complained that the team lacked a cohesive style of play leading up to the summer tournament and a meek group stage exit only illustrated how easy USMNT were to play against.

Settling on a fixed on-field identity will be crucial if the team’s fortunes are to improve, and Varas told reporters that US Soccer intends to look backwards to go forward.

Varas made clear: “We’re going to have a really competitive training environment and get back to being a front-footed team, in terms of building a higher press. Nothing that we haven’t done before, the team has always had this identity and it’s about showing who we are.”

He was eager to make clear that this was not just something that he is seeking to implement during this international break. Varas revealed that US Soccer’s technical director Matt Crocker had indicated that a high pressing system would be a key component of USMNT going forward.

“It’s not a grand idea by Mikey, it’s getting back to our roots,” Varas explained.

Pochettino’s absence no surprise for US Soccer

For weeks, news that Pochettino is going to take over as USMNT head coach has been an open secret. His contractual situation with Chelsea, his most recent club, still needs to be resolved and so he will not take charge until after the September friendlies.

This has been picked up by some commentators as a major failing, a missed step as US Soccer looks to tread a path to the 2026 World Cup on home soil. Varas, however, suggested that Pochettino’s unavailability for the upcoming games was no surprise, revealing that he had known for a month that he would be leading the team.

When asked when he was offered the interim role, Varas replied: “We had plenty of time to plan for the camp. It would have been early August [that I was told] and it was really clear in the run-up, so the preparation was incredible.”

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Pochettino has almost certainly had some say in the shape of the USMNT squad for this international break and Crocker will look to make the handover as smooth as possible. But for USMNT fans, desperate to move on from a period of disappointment, Pochettino’s absence will delay that feeling of a new start.

Gio Reyna shone in US training

On Thursday it was announced that Borussia Dortmund forward Gio Reyna had been forced to leave the camp after suffering a groin strain in training. The 21-year-old has endured a difficult 2024, sent out on loan by his club side and then failing to make an impact for Premier League strugglers Nottingham Forest.

But while he won’t play any part in this month’s US friendlies he has made an impact on the staff. Varas singled Reyna out for praise on Friday, suggesting that he is set to play a key role for the team going forward.

The interim boss said of Reyna: “It’s really unfortunate because he was flying in training. You talk about showing who we are - pressing, getting on the ball, being who he is. We decided that the best thing for him is to get back to Dortmund and focus on his recovery, because we’re really excited about what he’s going to do this season.”

Reyna is one of few players who has managed to nail down a starting berth for USMNT this year but many of the spots are still up for grabs. Columbus Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte will feel that he deserves a shot, as will 19-year-old Caleb Wiley who signed for Chelsea this summer. Young midfielder Aidan Morris has impressed since joining English side Middlesbrough and he looks like a good fit for the new high-pressing style of play.

It’s difficult to know what to expect from USMNT in this international break. With an interim coach and a new-look squad the results are not the primary concern over the next two weeks. More important is a sense of change that Varas needs to impart, a feeling that the tide is turning after a bumpy period for USMNT.